International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women 2025

Every year on 25 November, the world marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the United Nations’ official day dedicated to ending violence, abuse, and discrimination against women and girls. This day also marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, running from 25 November to 10 December 2025, under the global theme: “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls.” The 2025 theme highlights the growing urgency to address online abuse, cyberstalking, digital harassment, image-based abuse, and technology-facilitated coercive control, forms of violence that have increased across all sectors and disproportionately affect women and girls. For regulated organisations, this theme reinforces the need to strengthen digital safeguarding, staff awareness, online safety frameworks, and reporting mechanisms that capture both physical and technology-facilitated harm.

Guided by the UN’s long-standing UNiTE Campaign, the world unites in a shared commitment to prevention, protection, equity, and justice. While the campaign amplifies global awareness, its impact is deeply practical, especially for regulated organisations in the UK. Violence against women is not only a personal or societal issue; it is a safeguarding concern, a workforce wellbeing issue, and a critical regulatory priority.

In the UK, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, coercive control, cyberstalking, honour-based violence, and workplace discrimination continue to affect women at alarming rates. These harms remain widespread across health and social care, education, housing, charitable services, and the wider public sector. Their impact is devastating, affecting safety, well-being, trust, performance, and long-term life outcomes.

For regulated organisations, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the broader 16 Days campaign provide an essential opportunity to assess internal systems, strengthen safeguarding practices, build safer organisational cultures, and reinforce accountability. In 2025, this is more than a moral obligation; it is a regulatory expectation, closely aligned with CQC, Ofsted, Charity Commission, and professional-standards requirements.

In this blog, Anna Nova Galeon will explore the realities of violence against women, why it requires urgent organisational action, and how regulated organisations can embed strong structures, policies, and digital tools, like ComplyPlus™, to create a culture of zero tolerance and proactive safeguarding.

What do we mean by “Violence Against Women”?

Violence against women includes any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, psychological, or economic harm. It occurs across  personal, online, organisational, and community settings, and includes:

• Domestic abuse and coercive control

• Sexual harassment and assault

• Rape and sexual exploitation

• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

• Forced marriage

• Honour-based abuse

• Cyber/online abuse, stalking, and digital harassment

• Economic abuse

• Workplace harassment and gender-based discrimination.

Many of these harms remain hidden, minimised, or underreported, especially when victims fear stigma, disbelief, or retaliation.

Why this awareness day matters for regulated organisations

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the wider 16 Days of Activism, is not only symbolic. It drives action across organisations with responsibilities for safeguarding, duty of care, and professional standards.

Violence against women intersects with every regulated sector. Many women experiencing violence are:

• Employees

• Volunteers

• Students

• Patients

• Residents

• Service users

• Members of supported communities.

This makes the awareness day and campaign period a critical moment to reflect on three pressing obligations.

1. Safeguarding and duty of care

Women and girls experiencing violence often come into contact with regulated services long before they formally disclose abuse. Staff must therefore:

• Recognise the signs

• Respond appropriately

• Escalate concerns safely

• Record incidents consistently

• Understand trauma-informed approaches

• Use relevant statutory guidance.

The 16-day campaign provides a powerful yearly reminder to review organisational readiness, reinforce training, and strengthen governance.

2. Workforce well-being and equality

Gender-based violence significantly impacts:

• Mental health

• Attendance

• Retention

• Confidence

• Performance

• Long-term well-being.

A workplace committed to preventing violence and supporting those affected is a workplace dedicated to well-being, equality, and human rights.

3. Organisational reputation, compliance, and risk

UK regulators expect strong evidence of:

• Up-to-date safeguarding policies

• Clear reporting and escalation routes

• Safe recruitment and HR practices

• Whistleblowing and speak-up cultures

• Strong leadership accountability

• Inclusive, safe workplace environments.

Weakness in any of these areas exposes organisations to serious regulatory, legal, reputational, and workforce risks.

The realities facing women today

Violence against women remains widespread and systemically underreported:

• 1 in 3 UK women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime

• Over 1.6 million experience domestic abuse annually

• More than 50% of women have faced sexual harassment in the workplace

• Women are disproportionately targeted by cyber harassment, image-based abuse, and digital coercive control.

The UN’s 2025 theme directly responds to rising technology-facilitated harm, including:

• Deepfake sexual content

• AI-generated image exploitation

• Non-consensual filming

• Tracking apps, spyware, and GPS monitoring

• Online blackmail and threats

• Gender-based hate and trolling.

Regulated organisations cannot ignore these evolving risks. Safeguarding must now include digital literacy, cybersecurity awareness, and understanding how abuse occurs across online platforms.

Creating safer organisations - Key actions for leaders and managers

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the full 16-day campaign period, offer a vital opportunity for organisations to strengthen safeguarding practices across four priority areas:

1. Strengthen safeguarding frameworks

Organisations should use this period to ensure safeguarding governance is robust and aligned to updated statutory guidance. This includes:

• Clear policies on domestic abuse, harassment, and gender-based violence

• Accessible guidance for staff and volunteers

• Clarity around reporting and escalation procedures

• Defined roles for Designated Safeguarding Leads

• Secure digital logs and incident-reporting pathways

• Regular auditing of safeguarding processes.

Safeguarding must be understood as an organisational culture, not a standalone document.

2. Build a trauma-informed workforce

Women affected by violence often feel unsafe, unheard, or unsupported when interacting with services. Trauma-informed practice helps staff:

• Identify indicators of abuse

• Respond sensitively and appropriately

• Reduce re-traumatisation

• Provide safe and empowering support

• Make informed referrals.

Training should be ongoing, incorporating real scenarios, reflective practice, and professional discussions.

3. Create safe reporting and whistleblowing environments

Women are more likely to report violence when:

• They trust organisational processes

• Leaders respond consistently

• Reporting systems are transparent

• There is no fear of retaliation

• Complaints are managed independently.

Digital systems like ComplyPlus™ support this by:

• Standardising incident reporting

• Tracking response times

• Providing safeguarding dashboards

• Creating secure audit trails

• Highlighting patterns or recurring concerns.

These tools help organisations intervene early and protect their workforce and service users.

4. Prioritise workforce well-being and equality

Preventing violence requires organisations to foster cultures rooted in dignity and equity. Key actions include:

• Encouraging open dialogue about wellbeing and safety

• Ensuring women understand their workplace rights

• Offering flexible working where domestic abuse impacts safety

• Conducting risk assessments for lone working

• Promoting male allyship and leadership visibility

• Reviewing HR processes through a gender-safety lens.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) must work hand-in-hand with safeguarding.

Using data, technology, and governance to drive cultural change

Modern safeguarding increasingly relies on digital tools. Systems like ComplyPlus™ help transform organisational intentions into real, measurable outcomes by enabling:

• Centralised policy management

• Mandatory and role-specific training delivery

• Incident logging and escalation

• Digital audit trails for inspections

• Dashboard views for leaders

• Workforce competency tracking

Integrated systems ensure safeguarding, and women’s safety is consistently maintained, not revisited only during awareness periods.

The role of leadership in eliminating violence against women

Leadership determines organisational culture. During the 16 Days campaign, leaders should reflect on:

• Do women feel safe and supported in our organisation?

• Do we demonstrate visible, zero-tolerance commitments?

• Are staff adequately trained in safeguarding and trauma-informed practice?

• Do we act on data and early-warning signs?

• Do we empower staff to speak up without fear?

• Are our governance processes aligned to best practice?

Eliminating violence against women is a year-round responsibility, not a one-day initiative.

How regulated organisations can use the 16-day campaign

Practical ways organisations can mark the awareness period:

• Host reflective learning sessions

• Share internal communications highlighting responsibilities

• Offer well-being check-ins or support signposting

• Review internal policies and speak-up procedures

• Provide refresher safeguarding training

• Strengthen staff awareness of digital reporting pathways

• Partner with local women’s services or support groups.

The goal is to move from awareness into sustained institutional action.

Strengthening your safeguarding and compliance systems with ComplyPlus™

Violence against women is preventable, but only when organisations invest in strong safeguarding frameworks, ongoing professional development, and systems that support consistent, accountable practice.

At The Mandatory Training Group, we work with regulated organisations across the UK to strengthen safety, governance, and workforce capability through:

• CPD-accredited safeguarding, equality, and trauma-informed training

• Comprehensive online learning bundles for frontline and leadership teams

• Policy libraries, governance toolkits, and compliance resources

• Sector-specific courses aligned with CQC, Ofsted, Charity Commission, and professional standards

To further support organisations, our ComplyPlus™ digital system brings together training, policy management, incident reporting, audit trails, and workforce development into a single integrated compliance platform. This ensures your safeguarding and reporting processes are not only robust but also measurable, transparent, and inspection-ready.

Together, we can build safer workplaces, safer communities, and a future free from violence against women.